


Witch or Werewolf

by lonely_no_more



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, But it's there, F/F, so I tagged it just in case, the violence isn't super graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 11:12:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13950372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonely_no_more/pseuds/lonely_no_more
Summary: Annie's roommate was weird. Like, extremely weird. Mikasa was crazy athletic, ate enough red meat that her iron levels would kill anyone else, and on full moons, she played really loud drum music that sounded like it was for some strange kind of ritual. So when things begin to fit in to place, Annie learns that there's more to the world than she initially thought.





	Witch or Werewolf

Annie growled unhappily as she exited the elevator to the apartment she shared with her new roommate. 

A roommate who she had never met in her life or even spoken to. 

Annie had gotten lucky enough to get an apartment just across the street from campus and she had been told that if there weren’t any last-minute applications for the list, she wouldn’t have to share with anyone. Of course, given her luck, there had been one last-minute application. And they had of course been roomed with Annie. 

As she entered, she saw a taller than average woman with dark hair carrying a stack of three huge boxes in her arms. The woman glanced over and offered a casual smile. “Hey, let me go put these down in my room. I saw that there was stuff in one room already, so I guessed it was yours. I didn’t bother anything, I promise.” It appeared effortless for her roommate to carry the boxes and in no time at all, without even a grunt of exertion or the sound of boxes being dropped heavily, the brunette returned. She held out a hand. “Mikasa Ackerman. History major.”

“Annie Leonhardt.” She shook Mikasa’s hand, slightly surprised by the exceedingly firm grip. As soon as she had let go, Annie pulled her hand back and muttered, “Jeez, what are you, a python or something? You’ve got a death grip.”

Mikasa seemed unperturbed at the jab and shrugged. “I like to work out.” She smiled again, a little cooler than before, and stated, “I’m gonna go get the last of my stuff out of my car. Do you need any help moving stuff or are you already done?”

Though she was tempted to reply sarcastically, Annie answered, “All I’ve got left is clothes and shit. Nothing too big.”

“Well, if you need any help, just tell me. I’ll be done after this last trip. I already carried up my bed and everything.” 

She strolled out the door, leaving Annie to stand in their sparse living room. “What the fuck...” The blonde woman peeked into the room Mikasa had chosen- although, it was the only other bedroom in the apartment, so there wasn’t much choice- and gawked at how much the woman had moved apparently by herself. “What the fuck is this woman?” There were boxes stacked neatly at the foot of an unmade full size bed and a desk was already set up with a laptop, game console and TV waiting to be placed in their respective spots. 

Annie heard the door open again and quickly went to her own room to set down the box she had packed with her own miscellaneous electronics. Her own room was mostly set up, seeing as her step-dad had forced her to wake up early to make move in go faster. She was thankful he had left after unloading her furniture. The blonde had managed to bum some furniture off a couple friends who had moved in with significant others or gone across the country to a completely different university. So there was a couch and coffee table in the living room, along with the spare TV she had stashed from her step-dad’s workout room. He never used it anyway, so it wasn’t like he’d actually miss it. 

A knock brought her attention away from her thoughts and she saw Mikasa standing in the doorway. “This might be weird or whatever but I was planning on going to the store for groceries but I...don’t know where anything is around here. Did you want to ride along and, I dunno, get anything you need? I won’t charge gas money or anything, I just need directions.” 

Somehow the look on her face was probably the best puppy dog eyes Annie had ever seen and she had to clench her jaw to keep herself from replying instantly. After a second to gather herself, the shorter woman replied, “Yeah, sure, whatever. I could spare to get some cup noodles for dinner.” 

As they walked out to Mikasa’s car, the brunette offered, “I can cook pretty well. And the stuff I make feeds more than just one person. So, if you ever want a home cooked meal, you can have whatever I happen to make.”

“Are you always this ridiculously friendly?” Annie asked. 

“Just trying to get along, y’know. It’d suck to share a living space with someone you can’t stand,” Mikasa admitted. “I can back off though, if it’s too friendly.” She kept her eyes on the road, following Annie’s directions and smiling as they pulled into the parking lot. 

They went their own ways, once they were in the store, but as soon as she had finished and gone out to wait by the car, Annie’s jaw nearly dropped at the amount of groceries that Mikasa walked out with. “Are you feeding an army?”

“Like I said earlier, I like to work out. It takes a lot of energy,” her roommate answered easily. While she put the groceries in her car, she asked, “Are you vegetarian or vegan or anything?”

Annie shook her head. “Nah.”

“Ok, cool.” Mikasa shut the trunk of her car and explained, “I eat a lot of red meat.” 

Mikasa wasn’t a terrible roommate. In fact, she was pretty nice. She kept to herself most of the time and never made a lot of noise. And, admittedly, she was a damn good cook. Annie found herself almost always eating whatever Mikasa had cooked. There was one thing that Annie found exceptionally odd. 

When it got close to the full moon, Mikasa seemed to get anxious. And on the day of the full moon, Annie would never see her. She wrote it off as her roommate’s odd quirk. For all she knew, Mikasa could be some kind of witch. A very likely possibility, all things considered. Every time she passed Mikasa’s room and the door happened to be open, she would see paintings depicting the phases of the moon, constellations, and even a couple figures that looked like deities of some kind. 

_ “So, how’s it going with your new roommate?” _ Mina asked.

“She’s weird as fuck, Mina, seriously.” Annie glanced at Mikasa’s door, thankful that it was closed. “The full moon rolls around and I swear, she just barricades herself in her room and plays this insane ten-hour drum music playlist or something.” 

Mina laughed on the other end of the phone and joked,  _ “Maybe she’s a witch or something and the drum music is part of her rituals.” _

Annie mumbled, “Maybe...” The blonde set some water on to boil, intent on brewing some tea for herself. “She’s crazy athletic, dude. I’ve never seen a woman as ripped as she is.”

_ “Oh, so you’ve been looking?” _

“Shut up, Mina, not like that!” Annie huffed quietly, glaring at the tea kettle while it heated up. She mumbled, “Something is just off. I don’t know why.” As soon as the water began to boil, Annie pulled it off the heat and sighed as the smell of chamomile permeated the air. “Well, whatever, how are things going where you are?”

_ “Class is all right but I met this super nice guy. He’s really sweet. His name is Marco. It turns out he’s from the same state as us, just on the other side. Weird, huh?”  _

The blonde shook her head and smiled; Mina had been her best friend since grade school and she hadn’t changed much at all. “Yeah, weird. If he’s interested in you, that’s even weirder.” 

_ “Aw, Annie, that’s mean,” _ Mina whined.  _ “How have your classes been though? You said you have economics for math?” _

“Ah, yeah, it isn’t...terrible. I don’t like it but I’m not failing. I hate my public speaking class though.”

Mina hummed.  _ “Yeah, I understand. You hate the general public, so why would you want to speak to them?” _

Annie snorted, “Good one.” As she finished steeping her tea and began to stir some honey into the hot liquid, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Mikasa, she noticed, was rummaging in the fridge. “You good there, Ackerman? I haven’t seen you all day.”

“Hungry,” Mikasa replied shortly. She straightened up after grabbing a tupperware from the fridge and wandered out of the kitchen, already munching on the cold steak that had been in the tupperware. 

After watching to make sure Mikasa had entered her room and she heard the door shut, Annie whispered into the phone, “Dude, she’s eating a cold steak.”

_ “So? Isn’t it like a leftover or something?” _

“Yeah but it’s like. She cooked them medium  _ rare _ , Mina.” 

There was a long pause as Mina apparently processed the information.  _ “Ok, that is kinda weird.” _ She laughed a little nervously and suggested,  _ “Maybe she’s a werewolf, dude.” _

Even though the idea was a bit far-fetched, Annie was starting to have her doubts. “Yeah, right.” 

Annie began to hang around their apartment a little more after the incident when she saw Mikasa eating the cold steak. And, if anything, she found herself really beginning to enjoy Mikasa’s company. They set up their game consoles in the living room- Annie’s PS4 and Mikasa’s PS3- and started to enjoy weekends when they would just play video games together and eat whatever leftovers they had. 

“Yo, Mikasa, grab my curly fries for me,” Annie called to her roommate as she heard the other woman rummaging in the fridge.

“Don’t you wanna add something to that statement?” 

“Oh, yeah, and my tea?” the blonde joked. “Seriously though, please?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mikasa answered. She returned with two glasses of tea and Annie’s curly fries. “Here.” After handing over the food, Mikasa sat back down and took the controller from Annie’s lap.

Heat prickled at Annie’s cheeks, feeling the skin of Mikasa’s knuckles lightly brush her thigh as the controller was picked up. She grumbled, “Hey, watch those hands, Ackerman.”

Mikasa smirked and replied, “Why, you wanna see them elsewhere?” 

Reaching over to lightly slap her roommate’s shoulder, Annie retorted, “In your dreams!” While she snacked on her fries, the blonde watched Mikasa play NieR: Automata and offered advice here and there. “It’s kinda funny; 2B reminds me of you.”

“Hm? Really?” The brunette paused and glanced at Annie curiously. “Why?”

“Just because. Your hairstyles are similar. And your voices kinda sound similar to me. Plus, you just seem to have the same personality type.” 

“I guess that means you’re like A2,” Mikasa replied. 

Annie paused, eyes narrowing as she looked at Mikasa. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You’ve got a tough exterior but you’re really just a little softy.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be big softy?”

Mikasa again smirked and answered, “Yeah but you’re not big. You’re little.” She ducked when Annie swung at her. The game was paused and the controller was nearly dropped as the pair playfully fought one another. Mikasa finally managed to catch Annie’s hands in her own and smiled. “So, uh, I’ve got a small favor to ask.”

After a moment, Annie replied, “Well, what is it?” 

“I have to go on a small trip next week with my brother but he doesn’t have anyone to leave his dog with. Would you mind watching her?”

Annie’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of dog?”

“Uhm...” Mikasa floundered for a moment. “She’s...well, I think some kind of Shepherd...wolf...mix?”

“A wolf dog?”

The brunette smiled nervously. “Uh, yeah, sure.” She let go of Annie’s hands and they each settled back into their seats on the couch.

A small pause passed before Annie asked, “What’s her name?”

“...Mikasa.”

“Wait.” Annie ran a hand over her face as she began to laugh. “Your brother named his  _ dog _ after you?” 

Mikasa’s cheeks burned as she muttered, “Well, n-no, she just...started to respond to my name. So we just never renamed her.” She picked the controller back up and began to play again. 

Sighing heavily, Annie replied, “Yeah, sure, I can watch his dog.” The blonde questioned, “Is she trained?”

“Mostly,” Mikasa answered slowly. “She has a lot of energy. And she’s territorial.” 

Annie nodded. “Ok. I think I can deal with that.” She poked Mikasa’s thigh. “Have fun with Adam and Eve.”

“Wait, what?”

When it came time for Mikasa to leave for her trip, she went to the door and explained, “I’m gonna take my stuff down to Eren’s car. He’s gonna bring his dog up. I’ll see you later.” She reached over and hugged Annie tightly. “Thank you.” 

Annie felt a blush come to her cheeks and she awkwardly slipped an arm around Mikasa to return the hug. “Yeah, yeah, sure. But if that dog tears anything up, you’re replacing it.”

“I know, I know,” the brunette muttered. 

She left and, after several moments, Annie heard a knock at the door. When she opened it, her eyes immediately went to the incredibly large black dog. Her eyes widened and she said, “What the fuck, that’s not a dog, that’s a  _ wolf _ !”

“This is Mikasa,” the young man holding the leash retorted. He was probably the same height as his sister with shaggy brown hair and a thin beard. If anything, he looked more likely to be a werewolf than anything else. “Name’s Eren. Here.” He handed the leash over and stated, “She eats a lot. Likes to cuddle and play.” Eren paused and added, “She loves belly rubs too.” Then, he turned, holding up a hand as he walked away. “See ya in a week.”

Even though she was still slightly shocked by how big the dog was, Annie was quickly brought out of it by the tug of the leash nearly pulling her off of her feet. The dog was eagerly heading to the couch and Annie was struggling to stay on her feet. “Whoa, whoa, hang on there, mutt.” 

The dog- if she could even call that monstrosity a dog- paused and looked back at Annie, tongue lolling out of her mouth. Her tail was thumping the ground hard; the blonde woman blinked. The wolf-dog had the strangest eye color: grey. Annie had never seen a dog with eyes that color. She sighed and muttered, “Ok.  _ Mikasa _ .” When ears perked and the tail started thumping faster, Annie couldn’t help but smile a little. “You’re lucky you’re cute.” She petted the dog’s head softly and then unhooked the leash, letting Mikasa free to roam the apartment. 

When Mikasa went over to the couch, she hopped up and sat exactly in the same spot that Annie’s roommate would sit. She looked at Annie, almost expectantly, and then looked at the TV before looking back to Annie. The blonde woman just laughed and shook her head. “You are so fucking weird.” She came around to sit on the couch, turning the TV on and getting on Hulu. “What the fuck was I watching last...oh,  _ Chopped _ .” As the episode started, Annie glanced over when she saw the dog move and watched as it tried to curl up. Flatly, she mumbled, “You’re too big to fit in that tiny corner, dumbass.”

Mikasa, the dog, looked up at her curiously before laying out, nose just short of touching Annie’s leg. Annie said, “You better keep that cold ass nose to yourself.”

Wiggling a little, the dog moved just a little closer and the blonde stared at her in amusement. “You little shit, don’t you dare.” Annie let out a squeak, bolting off the couch when the wolf-dog pressed her cold nose to Annie’s bare thigh. “Ah, you fucking brat dog!” When she rounded to glare at the dog, Mikasa was staring up at her with big eyes and tail wagging in the air. She bit her lip, struggling to actually feel somewhat angry. “You are a lot smarter than Mikasa told me.” The dog’s tail began to wag harder.

Annie ran a hand over her face. “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”

Four days later saw Annie lounging on the couch, beer in one hand while the other hand was rubbing Mikasa’s belly. The wolf-dog was fairly well-behaved; other than the fact that since watching her, a couple of Annie’s socks had gone missing. She had attempted to call Mikasa, her roommate, to let her know how Eren’s dog Mikasa was doing. She left a voicemail anyway and simply waited to see if Mikasa would be able to get the messages before she came back from her trip. 

In the meantime, Annie made sure to watch the wolf-dog carefully. It was nice, to have an animal around the apartment. Although, Annie did miss having her roommate around. Still, Mikasa the dog was a nice companion. She had fallen into a good routine with the dog. Annie went to class about midday, so she would wake up a little before that to make sure that Mikasa had water and food. And a morning belly rub. 

Then, between classes, Annie would pop back into the apartment to check on Mikasa. After classes were done, the blonde would return and take the dog for a walk. She found that Mikasa liked to tug on the leash and walk a little faster than a leisurely pace. Still, it was nice. And after the walk was done, Annie would make dinner for herself and do any homework before relaxing on the couch with Mikasa, rubbing the wolf-dog’s stomach.

Annie set her beer down and watched as she started another season of  _ Kitchen Nightmares _ . She sighed, “Oh, these people are stupid.” She felt Mikasa move and saw the dog kind of poke her head up to stare at the screen before looking back at Annie when the blonde stopped rubbing her belly. Her tail thumped Annie’s leg a time or two before Annie started to rub her belly again. Once she was satisfied that Annie wasn’t going to stop, Mikasa settled back down, tail wagging slightly. With a chuckle, Annie mumbled, “You are the weirdest animal.”

It wasn’t until day six, when she got a text from Eren, that Annie found she might actually miss having the dog around. He would be returning that night to pick the dog up and would bring her roommate back. She glanced at Mikasa as the wolf-dog watched the door. “You know he’s coming, don’t you?” she asked sadly. 

Mikasa whined and got up, seeming almost anxious. She went over to Annie, bumping her head against the blonde woman’s legs, tail wagging and nearly knocking Annie over. “Jeez, you big nerd, I’ll probably end up watching you again sometime. Damn.” Sure enough, there was a knock at the door and Mikasa ran to the door, barking and pacing in front of the door. Annie finally managed to push her back enough to let Eren step into the doorway. She asked, “Where’s your sister?” 

“Getting her stuff out of the car. She fell asleep on the drive home.” He took the leash and said, “Thanks. I know she’s a lot to handle.”

Annie muttered, “No, don’t worry, I’m just gonna talk to your sister about a couple things that Mikasa- your dog- chewed up.”

The man’s brow rose and he glanced at the wolf-dog who was beginning to tug on the leash, trying to head for the elevator. “Ok, I’ll  send her right up. Later.”

She watched as the wolf-dog half-dragged Eren down the hall to the elevator and shook her head when they disappeared from sight. Annie plopped down on the couch and turned on the evening news, not particularly interested in anything other than the weather. After several moments, she heard the door open and she peeked over the back of the couch to see Mikasa entering with her hiking pack. “Jesus, how did you manage to survive hiking for almost an entire week?” After a moment longer she added, “Where the fuck did you even go hiking?”

“There’s a nature preserve in the next state, so we went there to hike and camp. It’s something we do every once in a while for the hell of it,” Mikasa answered. She seemed happier, somehow, and she came around to sit beside Annie on the couch. “So, how did things go?” 

“I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” Annie retorted. “And I don’t mean the rawhide ones that doofus chewed on while she was here.” 

Mikasa’s eyes widened and she looked a little nervous as she questioned, “What happened?”

“Well, not only did a couple of my socks go missing but  _ you _ owe me new underwear,” the blonde snapped, “that fuzzy idiot chewed up a couple of my favorite panties.” 

The brunette’s cheeks went red and she laughed, “Oh, uh, fuck, I’m sorry. Yeah, I can, uh- I can buy you new ones.” She settled into her regular spot, pointedly keeping her distance from Annie. “Other than that, were things ok?”

Annie exhaled, sounding exasperated. “Yeah, things were ok. She was smarter than I’d expect from a regular dog. She liked watching  _ Kitchen Nightmares _ with me.”

Mikasa offered a small smile. “Well, that’s good. I love  _ Kitchen Nightmares _ . Did she sucker you into giving her belly rubs?”

“Yeah...couldn’t really avoid it. She’s cute. I was tempted to try and keep her instead,” Annie joked. She laughed when Mikasa’s jaw dropped. “It probably seemed like I turned you into a dog.” 

“Oh, what, like you’re a witch?” Mikasa asked. They fell into a comfortable silence for a time before Annie decided to switch the TV to Hulu so they could watch  _ Kitchen Nightmares _ . After a little longer, Mikasa flopped over, head resting against Annie’s thigh. She said, “When does he call that dude a fucking donut?”

“Michon’s, I think,” her roommate answered. 

After the trip, Mikasa had gotten more physically affectionate and Annie couldn’t quite put her finger on why. They were friends but Annie wasn’t quite prepared for Mikasa to start sitting closer and initiating contact more often. Not that it wasn’t welcome. Annie was far from a touchy-feely person but she did start to appreciate how caring Mikasa was. 

However, there was still Mikasa’s odd habit of eating cold meat right out of the fridge. Most of the time, it was cooked already but there were a couple times that Annie could’ve sworn she saw Mikasa eat something raw. 

They went back to their normal routine: after they were each done with classes, they would make dinner and either watch something or play video games. But it was more common for them to sit closer and casually touch each other. Especially with Mikasa laying her head on Annie’s lap. The blonde woman often found her fingers running through the silky black strands of Mikasa’s hair, marveling at how impeccable it always looked. “How the fuck is your hair always perfect?”

“It’s not  _ always _ perfect,” Mikasa said. She was sitting on the floor in front of Annie, trying Critical Mode on  _ Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep _ . Mikasa growled when she was again killed. “Dammit.” She paused and tilted her head to look back at Annie. “Why are you asking about my hair?”

“Dunno, it just irritates me that it’s always perfect.”

“Like I said, it’s not always perfect,” the taller woman stated. She sighed and tried again, her attention on the game. “You should see it in the mornings. It’s awful.”

Annie snickered. “Is that an invitation?” 

Her roommate laughed, “Oooh, you’re flirting  _ back _ now?”

“So you  _ have _ been flirting with me!” Annie exclaimed triumphantly. She watched as Mikasa paused the game and set the controller on the coffee table before slumping over the table and groaning dramatically. “I’ll give you credit where it's due: you were subtle enough that I was questioning if you really were or not.” The blonde leaned back, arms crossed behind her head as she smirked. “Why so subtle about it?”

“I didn’t want to make things weird. You’re my roommate and we’ve only lived together for-” Mikasa paused and raised her head. “It’s been close to a year now, hasn’t it?”

“Nine months,” her roommate responded. “So, yeah, getting there.” She hummed and added, “And we have spent a lot of time together. A lot more than I was expecting, honestly. I was pissed at first that you had put in an application at the last fucking second.”

“Oh, I know,” Mikasa mumbled. Her face was in her hands, which was a step above where she had previously been while slumped over. “You didn’t make it difficult to tell.” 

Annie lowered her arms and rubbed her neck, muttering, “Sorry about that. I just enjoy being on my own because my step-dad was constantly on my ass as I was growing up. So when I got the chance to have an apartment to myself, I jumped at it.” She added, “I’m glad you’re my roommate though. You’re a lot better than the other girl who used to be my roommate back in the dorms.” 

There was barely a pause as Mikasa turned to look at her, not even bothering to hide her curiosity. “Oh, my God. I’m almost afraid to ask but I have to know.”

With a loud sigh, Annie began, “Let me tell you about Hitch fucking Dreyse.”

Mikasa grinned. “This is gonna be good, I already know.” She turned around to face Annie; somehow, with her position on the floor, Annie was oddly reminded of Mikasa the wolf-dog. 

“Ok, now, don’t get me wrong. She’s probably a nice enough person. But she was a fucking mess. She left shit all over the room, she’d sneak alcohol in and drink...” She quickly stated, “And I know I drink but-”

“It’s rare,” Mikasa interrupted. 

“Anyway, she was constantly pestering me about if I was dating anyone and tried setting me up with some of her guy friends and I was just like...I’m not interested in  _ dudes. _ ” Annie paused. “Mostly. I’m bisexual but I like women a lot more.” 

She nodded slowly and said, “Good information. Glad to know that.” Mikasa smiled faintly. “Was that the only reasons that Hitch was a nightmare to live with?”

Annie groaned, “I could go for ages about why Hitch was a nightmare but I think you get the general idea.” 

“No, no, no, no, I need details,” the brunette replied. She grabbed her glass of tea from the coffee table and explained, “Tea and scandal. Let’s go.” 

“Ok,” the shorter woman started, “this chick was fuckin’...I dunno. She’d constantly be in and out of our dorm with friends and when she  _ was _ in our room, her TV would be turned up really high. And, mind you, she had it set up so it was near my head.” 

Mikasa grimaced. “Ugh. I sleep with my TV on but I have it turned down low. Just for background noise.” 

“Yeah, hers wasn’t background noise.” Annie sighed and shook her head. “Oh!  _ Oh _ !  _ And _ ! I legitimately saw her sleeping with empty fucking Kool-Aid pouches.” 

Her roommate stared at her in disbelief. Her jaw didn’t drop but Annie could tell that Mikasa was utterly confused by the information. “What the fuck...”

“Trust me, if I could tell you, I would.” She sat back and tapped a finger to her chin. “Hitch also had the weirdest shit just laying around. She left her makeup bag open and, like, she had fucking garlic powder in there.” When she saw Mikasa start to open her mouth, Annie explained, “She would put garlic powder in her mac and cheese.”

“I’m...not gonna judge what she puts in her mac and cheese because I like to put hot sauce in my ramen but- why did she put it in her makeup bag?” 

Annie ran her hands over her face and mumbled, “I have no idea. I could  _ not _ possibly tell you.” She brought her hands away from her face and laughed softly. “Ok, well, now that I know for certain that you’ve been flirting with me-”

“And you’ve flirted back,” Mikasa interjected. 

“And I’ve flirted back,” Annie confirmed, rolling her eyes. Her smile grew and she questioned, “So are you courageous enough to wanna try or what?” 

Mikasa grinned and for the first time, Annie noticed that the other woman had slightly sharper teeth than she had ever seen on a person. “If you are, yeah.” 

It might’ve been surprising, considering that Annie was used to having people at parties proposition her after just twenty minutes, but Mikasa hadn’t even mentioned sex once. They mostly did what they normally did. The only noticeable difference being that they would actually cuddle rather than just sit beside each other. And Annie enjoyed being held. Of course, any chance she got to pull Mikasa onto her lap instead was quickly taken advantage of.

Mikasa was becoming more of a presence in Annie’s life throughout the day; it was a little strange but the brunette had some special way of finding Annie between classes. They would text whenever they weren’t busy but it never failed that Mikasa would manage to catch up to Annie as the blonde walked from class to class. 

“How do you always manage to find me?” Annie mumbled as she felt a hand grab her own.

“I’m just good like that,” Mikasa replied simply. She smiled and asked, “How are classes so far today?” Their fingers laced together and the taller woman appeared content.

Her roommate said, “Not bad. I have an economics project due next week and I’m really not looking forward to that.” As they got closer to her next lecture hall, Annie stopped under a tree with Mikasa. “You should probably get going. You have class in like five minutes, right?”

“Yeah,” she responded, “but I can run really fast. I’m just that good, remember?” Mikasa flashed a confident smile. 

Annie rolled her eyes but smiled regardless. “Yeah, yeah, get your narcissistic ass going.” 

Mikasa nodded and began to let go of Annie’s hand but suddenly paused. Her eyes fell to the ground briefly as though she was thinking seriously. After a second longer, she asked, “Uhm, may I kiss you?” Her cheeks were steadily growing redder.

It was endearing to see her blush. Annie smirked and grabbed the front of Mikasa’s shirt, replying, “Get down here.” She gently tugged the taller woman closer to her height and shut her eyes when their lips met. Their hands were no longer intertwined and Annie felt Mikasa’s hands rest on her hips instead, pulling their bodies closer together. 

When there was a whistle, they broke apart and Annie almost giggled to see how badly Mikasa was blushing. She patted her roommate’s abdomen and grinned at her. “Ok, abs of steel, get going. I’ll see you at home.” It was nice to see Mikasa brighten before she ran off. 

Her lecture seemed to drag on and so every time she saw her phone light up, she quickly grabbed it, hoping that it was Mikasa. Half the time it was Mikasa and the other times it was an even split between her step-dad and one of the people from her anthropology work group. As soon as her economics lecture was done, Annie hightailed it out of the lecture hall and headed home. Mikasa’s class had apparently let out early, seeing as the taller woman was already starting to cook dinner when Annie walked in. She shut the door silently and tried to walk as quietly as possible, trying to sneak up behind her roommate. Without even turning, Mikasa said, “Hey, Annie.”

“Ugh, what the- how the hell do you always know?” She stepped up behind Mikasa and slipped her arms around her waist for a hug before peeking around the brunette’s arm to see what she was cooking. “Is that...is that what I think it is?” 

“Stroganoff? Yeah,” Mikasa answered. She laughed when Annie came around and reached over to taste the sauce. “How is it?”

“Babushka will be pissed,” Annie replied, accent thick, “I must divorce her stroganoff.” 

Mikasa giggled. “Please don’t actually say that. I’d prefer not to get shot with an AK.”

“Fair enough.” The blonde leaned against the counter and watched as Mikasa continued to work. After making sure that the food was off the heat and wouldn’t risk getting burned, she reached out and caught hold of her roommate’s shirt. “Hey. C’mere.” When Mikasa turned her attention to Annie, she was pulled down into another kiss. Annie kept her hands holding the front of Mikasa’s shirt as they kissed, lips pressed together softly. They parted briefly, only for Annie to push herself up on tiptoe for another quick peck. 

A slow smile curled the taller woman’s lips as she teased, “Looks like you enjoy that a lot.”

“So do you, asshole,” the blonde retorted, cheeks burning. She bit her lip to stifle the giggles as Mikasa bent, trying to press their cheeks together. “Stop it, you nerd!” Her hands slipped and accidentally scratched Mikasa’s neck. Right as she was about to apologize, Annie watched her roommate’s body sag and Mikasa leaned into the contact. “Uhm. Are you ok?”

“Yeah, that just felt nice,” Mikasa answered, sounding almost blissful. She raised her head, smiling happily, and mumbled, “Once we eat dinner, can you do that some more?”

One of Annie’s brows rose as she smirked and said, “Yeah, sure. Jeez, it’s almost like you’re a dog.” 

Mikasa’s eyes immediately widened and she appeared either embarrassed or anxious about the comparison. “W-what, like you don’t enjoy it when you get your back scratched?”

“Well, yeah, of course I do. Not that it happens often,” the blonde pointed out. She got plates down from the cabinet and handed one to Mikasa. “Ok, c’mon, let’s get our food and finish the last of  _ Kitchen Nightmares _ .” 

“I want to watch the Return to Amy’s Baking Company again...I love that cartoon that they featured.” 

“Ok, ok, fine, we’ll watch it again. That shit was hilarious.” As they settled on the couch, Annie saw her roommate out of her peripheral vision and turned just in time for a kiss to land on the corner of her mouth. The blonde felt her cheeks burn as she muttered, “You’re such a fucking nerd...”

Mikasa only grinned as she turned her attention to her plate of food. She murmured, “You know. I’m glad I finally asked if I could kiss you. I’ve wanted to for a while but...”

“But what? Were you afraid I’d say no?” Heaving a soft sigh, Annie said, “We’re technically dating, Mikasa.” 

“We...we are? I can call you my girlfriend?” Mikasa asked, attention once again on Annie. Her eyes were wide and briefly, Annie couldn’t tell if Mikasa was just shocked or about to cry. Then, a brilliantly loving smile, filled with hope, settled on Mikasa’s face and she replied, “Great, now I can tell Eren and Armin.”

“Armin?”

“My brother’s longtime boyfriend.”

“Oh. I know Armin from my economics class. We don’t talk a lot because, well, I don’t talk much.” Annie glanced down at her plate, trying not to let herself blush from finding Mikasa’s reaction adorable. 

As they both finished up and got the dishes cleaned up and the leftovers put away, the pair fell into another one of their comfortable silences. It wasn’t until they had settled back down on the couch, cuddling that Mikasa spoke. “I might be a little busy this weekend.”

“Hm?” Annie glanced over her shoulder at her girlfriend. 

“Uhm, well, it’s a full moon and I’ve got...stuff to take care of,” Mikasa answered slowly. 

“Does this have anything to do with those weird deity looking things in your room?” the blonde asked. 

Mikasa shrugged and mumbled, “Yeah...kinda.” She rubbed her neck and admitted, “I guess you could consider me a wiccan? I only recently began to practice it actively. I hope that isn’t a problem.”

Annie leveled a deadpan stare at her and retorted, “If you honestly think I give a shit what religion you practice, I will hit you.” She rolled her eyes again for what felt like the millionth time that day. “I don’t care if you believe in one God, six or even five thousand. As long as you treat me with respect and you care about me, we’ll be fine.” The blonde shifted her position to lean up and kiss Mikasa’s cheek. “So there. You can stop acting nervous about it.” After a moment, Annie questioned, “Can I watch one of your rituals some time?”

“Oh- uh...m-maybe when I’m better at it. Right now, I still, uhm, stumble over my words a lot. And my altar isn’t set up the way I want it to look just yet.” The brunette looked uneasy almost. Or flustered. “Sorry about that.”

“Well, just whenever, I guess,” Annie said. She settled back down against Mikasa, curious as to why the other woman seemed so anxious.

As soon as the weekend arrived- Friday, actually- and Annie arrived home from her last class, she could already hear the drum music from Mikasa’s room and the door was shut. She sighed heavily and went to her room, deciding it would be easiest to just stay in there until she was hungry enough to eat. Annie wasn’t entirely sure why Mikasa wouldn’t just text when she wasn’t busy or even right before bed. Still, the blonde put on her favorite movie and chose to relax.

After watching two more movies or so and it was beginning to get late, Annie felt her phone start to vibrate. Even though she was a little disappointed that it wasn’t Mikasa, she answered regardless. “Hello?”

_ “Annie! Hi!” _ Mina chimed.

The blonde woman smiled as she heaved a sigh. “Hey, Mina. What’s up?”

_ “Not a lot, really. Marco is busy tonight, so we can’t hang out.” _ She paused before joking,  _ “What about you? Where’s your werewolf?” _

“Doing her wiccan rituals thing.”

_ “Oh, she’s wiccan? That’s cool! Marco is a practicing wiccan too. I teased him about it a little but he’s just so sweet, it’s hard to tease him too much.” _ Mina laughed. “I wonder if they know each other.”

“Maybe.” Annie sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed, finally tired of hearing her own stomach growl. “It’s been nice. She’s a little dense sometimes. She didn’t really realize that we were dating.” 

Mina giggled,  _ “Aw, that’s cute though! I bet she was super excited when you clarified that you guys are dating.”  _

Annie smiled, thinking about the look on Mikasa’s face. “Well...it was really cute.”

_ “Ooooh, Annie, I think you’re really serious about this one,” _ her best friend teased. 

While Annie walked down the hall to the living area, she muttered, “Shut up, Min, c’mon.” As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear something rummaging and she suspected that Mikasa had finally gotten hungry enough to come out of her room. “I dunno, something still feels...odd, y’know? I just feel like-” Annie froze in the doorway to the kitchen, eyes locked on the big, black wolf holding a package of raw meat in its mouth. When it turned and saw Annie, the ears laid back and the eyes widened enough that the blonde could see the color was that same grey.

_ “Annie? Annie, is everything all right?” _

The wolf moved slowly as it used one of its rear legs to kick the fridge closed, lowering its head is it moved past Annie, heading back to Mikasa’s room. “Uh...Mina, can I...can I call you back?”

_ “Yeah, is everything ok?”  _

“Don’t worry, it’s...ok, I’ll get back to you.” She hung up and went back to Mikasa’s room and, finding the door unlocked, peeked inside. The wolf was holding half of the steak down with one paw and pulling the other half apart with its teeth. Annie approached slowly. “Mikasa?” she asked gently, waiting for a response. When the wolf raised its head and the tail began to wag, the blonde woman relaxed a little. She knelt in front of the wolf and reached out, scratching behind the ears. “So, you really are a werewolf.” 

Mikasa’s tail was wagging quickly and her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she appeared quite happy to see Annie. The steak was mostly eaten already but she turned and finished eating while Annie watched, puzzled by the turn of events. Annie hummed, shaking her head as Mikasa tore the steak apart with her teeth. It didn’t take long for the wolf to make quick work of the meat and when she was finished, her attention was squarely back on Annie. 

“I knew it,” Annie mumbled. “I knew it, I knew something was up.” She examined Mikasa carefully. Her hands moved slowly so she didn’t alarm the wolf and gently brushed the fur. Annie knew that wolves were huge. So when Mikasa had initially tried to pass off as a wolf-dog, the blonde was suspicious. Yet, it still amazed her to realize that, essentially, Mikasa was still much bigger than she was. 

She had to bite her lip to stifle the laughter as Mikasa began sniffing at her eagerly. Annie groaned in exasperation as the wolf began to lick her face and one heavy paw rested on her lap. “Ugh, no, I don’t- I don’t want wolf kisses-” The blonde tried to turn her face away, not wanting werewolf drool on her face.However, it didn’t seem to faze Mikasa as the werewolf knocked Annie over, almost greeting Annie after not seeing her in a while. Finally, the licking subsided and, for a moment, Annie thought that Mikasa was going to let her up. It instead turned out that Mikasa was gauging if she was going to move and when nothing happened, dropped down to rest on top of Annie.

Annie grunted at the weight suddenly resting on top of her and began to squirm, trying to get out from under Mikasa. “I’m not a bed! This is not nap time!” When the werewolf didn’t move, she started to laugh. “C’mon, this isn’t- I don’t want to smell like dog!” Mikasa still didn’t move and Annie sighed loudly. “Mikasa, please!” 

The following day, after finally getting free with the promise of giving Mikasa a treat, Annie went back to her girlfriend’s room and found the woman fast asleep, sprawled out haphazardly over the end of her bed. It was an amusing sight. She was more bemused by the fact that Mikasa had either fallen asleep as a wolf and slept through her transformation or had promptly passed out after transforming back because she was completely bare. Annie smirked and leaned against the door frame as she whistled, “C’mon, Ackerman, full moon is over. You can cover yours up.” 

She nearly burst into laughter when the taller woman startled, grabbing the blanket while simultaneously falling off the end of the bed. Mikasa tugged the blanket around her body and stammered, “H-how long have you been there?”

“Mmm, probably just a couple minutes. Gotta say though,” she replied, smirk growing, “now that I know how muscular your ass is, I might smack it a little.” It was endearing to see Mikasa blush bright red. Her expression softened to one of concern and she asked, “Are you ok? You ate a lot last night.”

“I usually get pretty hungry after I transform. It burns a lot of calories,” Mikasa replied. She stayed sitting where she was, blanket pulled tight around her body. Her eyes fell to the floor as she questioned, “This hasn’t made you feel weird about us, has it?”

Annie took the few steps to walk over and kneel in front of Mikasa. Gently, with one hand holding her coffee, the other reached out and softly stroked her girlfriend’s hair. When Mikasa’s eyes shut and she leaned into the contact, the blonde answered, “I feel more secure about us now that I know the truth.” She smiled and leaned in, pressing her lips to Mikasa’s tenderly. It made her heart beat just a little faster when Mikasa looked at her hopefully. “C’mon. Get dressed. I’ll make coffee and breakfast.”

As the blonde was walking out the door, Mikasa chimed, “You took a shower.”

“I adore you and you’re a very fluffy girl but I don’t like having dog slobber all over my face,” Annie replied lightly. 

“That’s werewolf slobber!” the brunette corrected. 

It didn’t take long for Annie to finally hear the shower start and knew that Mikasa would only take about five to ten minutes. She was thankful that she had bacon already prepared from the night prior after using it as a bargaining chip to get Mikasa off of her. As she was finishing up the first omelette, the woman felt a pair of arms slide around her waist. Annie smiled as she felt a soft kiss get placed on her neck. “You hungry?”

“Always,” Mikasa said. She grabbed a mug from the cabinet and finally got some coffee. “Thanks for making breakfast,” the werewolf murmured. While Annie was busy making her own omelette, Mikasa hopped up on the counter beside the stove so she could eat and talk to Annie.  “So, other than eat a lot and apparently lick your face, did I do anything else?”

“Not really.” Annie’s omelette was different from Mikasa’s, choosing to make a Japanese omelette instead of a French one. She glanced at the empty plate on Mikasa’s lap. “Do you need me to make another one for you?” 

“Nah, we can just make a big dinner later. I’ll be ok for now.” She set the plate aside on the counter and leaned back, shoulders resting against the bottom of the cabinet. “Well. Looks like I don’t have to hide being a werewolf anymore.”

“Yep. Now we can just spend time together. Although, what happened when you transformed for a week solid?” 

“Oh, that.”

Annie grumbled, “Yeah,  _ that _ .” 

Mikasa shrugged. “Super moon.” She smiled easily. 

Her eyes widened. “A super moon makes you transform into a wolf for a week solid?”

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, the phases of the moon are kind of important to werewolves. That includes blood moons, super moons, blue moons...basically any moon that’s full.” 

“Sounds eventful,” she muttered flatly. Annie finished making her own omelette and began to eat immediately. “So. What now?”

The other woman hummed curiously. “What do you mean?” 

“What do we do now? Now that I know you’re a werewolf.” 

Mikasa tilted her head, looking thoughtful, and mumbled, “Well, I don’t know. I guess we just...get used to each other. Now that I don’t have to worry about you learning that I’m a werewolf.”

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Annie and she asked, “So wait, were you making up the fact that you’re wiccan or was that real?”

“Oh, that’s real,” Mikasa explained. “It just happened that it lined up to be a good cover-up for my transformation and stuff.” She shrugged slightly and said, “Sorry if it seemed like I was lying. I just wasn’t sure how you’d react to a werewolf and all. Seeing as, you know, it isn’t widely known that we exist.” 

Annie replied, “Well, I can’t really fault you for that. If it isn’t too much to talk about, can you tell me about how you became a werewolf?” 

The werewolf in question dropped off of the counter and refilled her coffee before she sighed, “It’s gonna be a long explanation, so you better get some coffee and come sit on the couch with me.” It didn’t take but a minute for Annie to grab more coffee and follow Mikasa into their living room. As they settled into their spots, Mikasa announced, “I was born a werewolf. But most young werewolves don’t transform for the first time until we’re about four or five. Mostly because I think humans don’t develop nearly as fast as wolves themselves.” She took a sip of coffee before she continued, “I got it from my dad. The Ackermans are a family of werewolves who trace their origins back to the Ebbe Mountains in Germany. He was a docile man.” Mikasa smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, most of the Ackermans were wiped out by hunters.”

Her jaw flexed and Annie muttered, “Monster hunters are  _ real _ ?”

“Very,” Mikasa confirmed. “It was my first full moon that I transformed. We lived outside of an old mining town, closer to the summit. Since my father was more docile, and he had me with him, we stayed home and just played in our yard when we thought that no one would be up anymore. My mom was sitting outside with us. It was dark outside, so the only light we had was a small lantern so that my mom didn’t have to sit in complete darkness.”

Annie just stared at her, not sure what to say. The way that Mikasa was talking had given her an inkling of what happened that night. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt. Instead of speak, she set her coffee aside and scooted just a little closer so she could reach out and rest a hand on her girlfriend’s knee. 

“We had thought that there wouldn’t be any hunters because they frequented more metropolitan areas. It’s easier to catch a werewolf who lives in a city,” she explained coldly. “Still, they found us. My mother grabbed me and began to run towards our closest neighbors. They shot her and when she fell, she dropped me and all I can remember is running the rest of the way to the Jaeger’s house. They were our neighbors. Eren had been outside, against his mom’s rules, and saw me running. Then, when he saw the men chasing after me, he grabbed his little fishing knife and brandished it at the men.”

“You remember it surprisingly well...” Annie murmured. 

“Terror is strong enough to imprint many things on a young mind.” She set her empty mug aside and rubbed her eyes. “Eren stabbed one man in the hand and I bit the other’s leg. I ripped some of the muscle out.” Her mouth curled into a smirk but fell quickly. “Dr. Jaeger, Eren’s father, came out shortly after and chased the hunters off. The next day, Eren got a bit of a rude awakening when I transformed back. Dr. Jaeger had apparently known about my family though. He didn’t seem surprised.” 

“So that’s why Eren seemed so nonchalant about everything.” She chuckled lightly. Annie gently ran her hand over Mikasa’s thigh and murmured, “I’m sorry that happened.” 

The werewolf reached over and took Annie’s hand in her own. “It’s all right. I’ve turned out ok, I think.” She raised her eyes when a hand softly cupped her cheek.

Annie smiled faintly, “You turned out pretty damn good.” She leaned in to kiss Mikasa softly, tilting her head just a bit to deepen the kiss. When she pulled back, the blonde paused to tap a kiss to the tip of Mikasa’s nose. “So. How about we cuddle up, watch  _ Ancient Aliens _ , and maybe order from that hibachi place that delivers for dinner?” 

Mikasa laughed, even as Annie brushed the faint hints of tears that prickled at her eyes. “You must’ve read my mind.”

With a shrug and a grin, Annie replied, “I’m good like that.”

The following weeks were spent more or less falling into a rhythm of Mikasa and Annie getting steadily more comfortable as a couple. Classes were beginning to wind down right before winter break and Annie found herself slightly anxious. It was one evening that Mikasa was making their dinner that Annie came in and slipped her arms around her from behind. Mikasa blinked and glanced over her shoulder at her girlfriend. “Annie? What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” she replied quietly.

One of Mikasa’s brows rose and she incredulously stated, “I don’t believe that for a second.” She grabbed Annie’s arms and loosened them enough to turn around and look at her properly. “What’s going on?”

“My step-dad wants me to come home for Christmas,” Annie announced.

“I thought you and your step-dad don’t really get along.”

“We don’t.” The blonde pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily. “But I don’t want to just stay here by myself for the whole break.” Her head lowered until it was pressed against Mikasa’s chest. And that was when her shoulders shook. Annie’s voice cracked as she muttered, “It isn’t home there.”

Mikasa’s heart sank immediately and she gently wrapped her arms around the blonde, pulling her close. “It’s ok,” she said, trying to be reassuring. “It’s gonna be all right.” After a few more moments, she suggested, “I can stay here with you. We’ll have Christmas together.” Mikasa flashed her a smile, her sharp canines peeking out. 

Annie raised her head at that, tear tracks visible on her cheeks. “But what about Eren and your adoptive parents?”

“They’ll understand,” Mikasa answered. “Besides, if they really want me to come home, we can just drive there for dinner or something. It’s a three hour drive but we could do it.” 

She whispered, “You...would be willing to take me to meet your family?”

Again, the werewolf blinked and looked utterly puzzled. “Yeah, why not?” She stated, “You’re my girlfriend and you make me happy. And we’ve been dating for a while now. My family is important, so I want you to meet them.” Mikasa laughed a little. “I’ll warn you now, Carla is a hugger. She’ll be excited to meet you. She swore up and down that she’d love anyone I brought home as long as they treat me right.” Her smile softened and she gently brought a hand to stroke Annie’s cheek. She murmured, “And you do just that.”

Annie smiled and pressed her cheek into the contact. “Dork.” Her eyes were shut as she sighed, “Thank you.”

“Of course. Now, c’mon, I made lamb meatballs and tzatziki,” Mikasa chimed. Their dinner was a primarily quiet affair. As they settled in and ate dinner, she asked, “Is it going to cause problems for you if you decide to stay here for Christmas break?” 

“My step-dad will probably be a little pissed but he won’t do shit about it,” Annie responded. She rubbed the back of her neck as she got up to go put her empty plate in the dishwasher. “He might stop talking to me altogether.” 

Mikasa was about halfway through her third lamb meatball pita wrap when she inquired, “Would he really do that? He’s your step-dad...”

The blonde shook her head as she began to load the dishwasher with dirty dishes. “He married my mom and everything was cool for a while until my mom got sick.” At the curious look she received, Annie explained, “My mom got ovarian cancer. But she didn’t show any symptoms until it had already spread in her pelvis and abdomen.” 

“Oh...” Mikasa put down the rest of her wrap and looked at Annie sadly. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s ok but I get checked frequently, just to make sure I don’t end up the same way.” She waited until Mikasa was done before grabbing her plate and putting it into the dishwasher. “My mom passed away when I was sixteen. So, after that, I had to deal with my step-dad on my own and he just ended up being a total dick. I couldn’t wait to move away to college.” 

The werewolf tugged Annie into a hug, kissing her gently on the forehead. “Well, you’re here now and you don’t have to deal with him if you don’t want to.” She shrugged and grinned. “If he tries to drop in, hopefully it’ll be during a full moon. I’ll bark at the door and scare him off. Or you could open the door and I’ll chase him.” 

Mikasa smiled blissfully when Annie reached up to gently scratch behind her ears. Annie laughed, “Yeah, I’ll just let you bark at him. Because that’s  _ terrifying _ .”

“It’ll be terrifying to find out the thing on the other side of the door barking is a full-grown werewolf,” she retorted smartly. Mikasa tilted her head into the contact, silently urging for more as Annie continued to scratch behind her ears. “If I had a tail right now, it would be wagging.”

“I can tell,” the blonde replied with a small smile. “You big dork.” She paused and pulled Mikasa down into a kiss, smiling into it when the werewolf brought her closer so that their bodies were touching. “So,” she said when they finally parted, “Christmas is next week.”

With a smile, Mikasa nodded. “Yeah. And?”

“And I want to get you something for Christmas, dummy.” Annie gently poked the end of Mikasa’s nose. “What should I get you? Dog treats? Rawhides? A squeaky toy?”

Her smile fell into a pout. “That’s not funny.” Her cheeks burned when Annie poked her cheeks. “C’mon, Annie...”

“I’m just teasing you, Mika.” She stroked Mikasa’s hair softly and said, “Do you wanna play some  _ Kingdom Hearts _ ?” Her chest went warm at the way Mikasa’s expression lit up. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yeah, let’s go,” she answered. 

They spent the rest of the evening playing games and talking, effectively taking Annie’s mind off of Christmas break and her step-father. That weekend happened to be a full moon. Mikasa was getting antsy before night fell and was pacing. “I just want this to be over with already...” 

Annie looked up from her book as she was sitting on the couch and asked, “Why?” 

“Well, it’s not exactly painless...” She muttered. Mikasa growled as darkness fell and her heart began to race. Her hand clutched at her chest and she began to pant, feeling every muscle tense. She didn’t even need to see Annie move out of the corner of her eye; her ears caught the sound. Mikasa doubled over and snarled, feeling the prickling sensation burn at her skin. Everything was beginning to ache and suddenly it felt as though every joint in her body was being pulled apart. A short scream left her mouth as she dropped to her knees. 

In all honesty, Annie was surprised that she had never heard Mikasa’s transformation. It began to make more sense why she put that drum music on. It was almost scary to see the transformation of a werewolf from human into the wolf form. She stared, wide-eyed, as the woman before her began to physically change. Black fur sprouted and the arms and legs popped and cracked as they changed shape. 

Annie lowered herself onto her knees and slowly reached out, giving the wolf a chance to move away. She wasn’t sure how Mikasa would react in the first few moments after she had changed and didn’t want to risk making her jumpy. Yet, it seemed that Mikasa instantly recognized her and came trotting over, tongue lolling out of her mouth happily. 

“You big, fluffy dork,” the blonde chuckled. She couldn’t help but grin as Mikasa plopped down right in front of her and began licking her face. “Ugh, werewolf slobber,” Annie groaned. It didn’t seem to deter Mikasa however, and her tail only thumped the ground harder. 

Mikasa whined, excitedly licking Annie’s face. She put her paws on Annie’s lap, nearly knocking her over. “Hey, hey, careful, don’t-” Annie grunted when the wolf again tried to get closer. “Fine, hang on, dork.” The blonde grabbed Mikasa’s paws and lifted her off, setting her back down on the floor. “C’mon, c’mon.” She tilted back and reclined on the floor, fighting back a smile as Mikasa promptly dropped down next to her. Annie smiled and reached over, softly rubbing the wolf’s side. “You’re a doofus.”

The wolf responded by rolling onto her back and squirming, panting happily. It didn’t take long for Annie to start rubbing her belly. Mikasa’s head dropped back and Annie giggled at the sight. She propped herself up on her side and continued to rub the werewolf’s stomach. After a while longer, nearly lulling the werewolf to sleep, Annie patted Mikasa’s stomach and said, “Ok. Snack time, fluffball.” 

The mention of a snack made the wolf roll back over and get to her feet, tail wagging fast. She promptly trotted over to Annie and then on into the kitchen ahead of the blonde. Annie chuckled softly. When she got to the kitchen doorway, she saw Mikasa already pawing the fridge door open and sticking her nose in, sniffing for something to eat. “Hang on a second, wait, wait, wait, not- not the summer sausage...” Sure enough, Mikasa had gotten hold of the sausage Annie had tried to stash away for Christmas. She grumbled, “That was mine...” 

It was pretty immediate that after pulling the sausage out of the fridge and tearing the plastic that Mikasa plopped down and began to eat. Annie shut the door to the fridge and got into the freezer instead, choosing to grab the bag of nuggets and fix a few for herself. Eventually, after having her own snack of nuggets and watching as Mikasa single-handedly demolished the summer sausage, Annie felt herself begin to get tired. It was nearing five-thirty in the morning. Likely that Mikasa would transform back again and end up passing out in her room, Annie started to get herself ready to catch a little sleep. She patted Mikasa’s head gently and murmured, “Ok, fuzz bucket, let’s get some rest.” Mikasa patted along after her, curling up beside Annie as the blonde settled in bed.

“You better not shed all over my comforter. I just washed it,” the blonde muttered tiredly. However, she drifted off soon after, only stirring a little when she felt movement on the bed. She didn’t poke her head out of the den she had created with pillows and blankets, figuring that Mikasa had changed back and chosen to go put on some clothes. Annie woke up and tried fruitlessly to fall back asleep until it was evident that she wasn’t going to get anymore shut-eye. Upon glancing at her phone, the blonde groaned loudly seeing it was only ten in the morning. She gathered herself and trudged out of her room, figuring she’d look in and see Mikasa in her bedroom. 

Annie frowned, confused when she didn’t see any trace of her girlfriend in her bedroom.  _ ‘Maybe she fell asleep on the couch or something...’ _ she thought. That thought was thrown out the door as soon as she stepped into their living area. Laying on the floor in the sun that spilled through their window, was Mikasa Ackerman. Who was still very much in her wolf form and sprawled out on her back, legs sticking out as she basked in the warmth of the sunlight. “Hey, Ackerman,” Annie huffed, “put your kibbles and bits away. It’s ten AM.” 

She rolled onto her side and raised her head, seemingly smiling at the blonde. A quiet whine left her and Mikasa got up, trotting over to greet Annie. Sighing, Annie finally smiled and stated, “You make it very hard to be frustrated with you, you know that.” She gently scratched behind Mikasa’s ears, smiling wider as it made the wolf try to scoot closer when she really couldn’t without knocking Annie over. “All right, I’ll make breakfast and we’ll just spend the day watching shit on Hulu.” 

Breakfast was a fairly quiet affair, aside from Mikasa munching on the strips of bacon that Annie gave her. “Do you want an egg?” she asked.

Mikasa’s ears perked up and something between a bark and a whine left her, making Annie laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She made a fried egg, making sure to cook it all the way through. It was funny to watch Mikasa whine when Annie put the egg on a paper plate and into the freezer. “It’ll only be in there for a minute. It needs to cool off, you can’t have it fresh out of the pan.”

As soon as it was cool enough, Annie watched Mikasa put one big paw on the portion of the plate that was clear and held it still as she ate. “Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re functioning on an entirely human brain in there or if you think like a wolf,” the blonde mused. She smiled as Mikasa licked the plate clean. “Dork.” 

The wolf perked up again and started panting happily. “Ok, let’s go. It’s time to relax.” Mikasa rushed out of the kitchen ahead of her, nails clicking on the hardwood floors. As they got settled into their normal spots and Annie put a show on, she promptly began looking into possible reasons for Mikasa’s transformation to have lasted longer than normal. She obviously didn’t search  _ why is my werewolf girlfriend still a wolf when it isn’t the night of the full moon anymore _ . Her search was more geared to finding out if there was a special kind of moon. “The Cold moon?” Annie mumbled to herself. In addition to being the cold moon, it was also a blue moon. “So that’s why.” 

The following morning, Mikasa was human again. She rubbed her eyes and staggered into the kitchen at the smell of food. “Hey,” the brunette muttered. 

“Hey there, fuzzbucket,” Annie replied, smiling faintly. She motioned Mikasa over and tilted her head back for a kiss. “Did you sleep all right?”

Mikasa shrugged. “Not bad, I guess. I’m exhausted though.” She blinked, trying to get the lingering haze of sleep to clear up as she peered at what Annie was making. “Are those waffles?”

“Yep. Get some coffee and sit down.” While they ate breakfast together, Annie mentioned, “Y’know, I was thinking about it. We should go see your family for Christmas.”

“Really?” the werewolf exclaimed. 

Annie nodded. “Sure, why not?” 

There was a brief pause as Mikasa seemed to think for a moment. “Are...are you sure? I don’t want you to feel like it’s moving too fast for us.” 

“We’re fine,” the blonde retorted. “I just know that your family is important to you. And I know it would mean a lot to you.” 

“Well...yeah. It would mean a lot to me. But I also don’t want you to feel like it’s something you have to do,” Mikasa said. She sighed quietly when Annie reached over and rested her hand over Mikasa’s arm. “Sorry. I just want to make sure, I guess.” After a moment, she mumbled, “I got a weird feeling when I woke up this morning. Almost like there’s something that’s going to happen but I don’t know what it is. It’s really strange.”

“Like something bad? Or good?”

Mikasa shook her head and frowned. “Dunno. And that’s what’s so strange. Usually I can tell the difference and I’m rarely ever wrong.” She sighed heavily, “Oh well. I’ll get cleaned up and then call Eren. See if he’s already home.” A beat of silence passed before she motioned at the last waffle on Annie’s plate. “You gonna eat that?”

Annie smiled slowly and handed her plate over. “Go ahead.” It was amusing to see how active Mikasa’s appetite was, especially after transforming between wolf and human. “I’ll go ahead start getting stuff together then.” 

While Annie got some of her things packed, she heard the shower turn on. It was a little nerve-wracking, thinking about how she’d be meeting her girlfriend’s parents. And for Christmas, no less. The blonde sighed and packed at least one nice outfit to wear. Just in case Mikasa’s family did anything special. Though she heard the water turn off, Annie didn’t think anything of it and was almost done packing when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. 

In the doorway, hair still messy and towel draped over her shoulders, was Mikasa in only a sports bra and boy shorts. She was  _ smirking _ . “What’s wrong, Leonhardt?  _ Wolf _ got your tongue?”

Cheeks beginning to burn, Annie retorted, “No. I just didn’t expect you to wander around half naked.”

“All the important bits are covered,” the brunette answered nonchalantly. Her smile grew. “I seem to recall you seeing more than just this, so I think you should be fine with me primarily covered.” She began to towel dry her hair as she mentioned, “Think you’d be ready to go after I get done packing?”

“Wow, we’re gonna leave tonight?” 

“It’s the morning of the twenty-fourth.” The werewolf smiled. “If we leave at noon, we should make it home by three. It’s not supposed to snow until late tonight.” A moment passed before her smile fell. Mikasa crossed her arms over her chest and mumbled, “I don’t know why I’ve still got that weird feeling.” 

Annie frowned as well. “Do you think we should stay here?” 

“I dunno, maybe I’m just anxious about having you meet my family. I really want them to like you.” She shrugged. “Eren seemed to like you.” 

“We barely spoke to each other,” Annie laughed. “Although, maybe that’s why he likes me.” She zipped up her bag and then took the couple steps over to stand in front of Mikasa. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Mikasa smiled faintly. “Well, just be genuine. As long as you’re being yourself, I’m sure that they’ll love you.” They kissed briefly before Mikasa went to go finish getting dressed and get her things packed. Not long after, they got their things loaded up in Mikasa’s car and started the three hour drive. Since Mikasa was driving, Annie took control of the music they listened to. It was surprisingly relaxing to be on the road together and listening to music that they both enjoyed. 

As they got closer to the summit, Annie noticed that there was actually snow on the ground already. “You guys hold onto snow better up here, huh?”

“Yeah; it made transforming fun during the winter and Eren got stuck taking me outside.” She laughed to herself. “And I was a teenager then. I was an adolescent and ready to go  _ constantly _ .” She added, almost sounding nostalgic, “Dragged him across the yard a few times.” 

Annie snorted. “Nice.” And, despite feeling relaxed during the drive, as they turned onto a side road and headed towards the outside of the main town, the blonde felt her anxiety rise again. She mumbled, “I’m not sure I can do this, Mika.”

The werewolf reached over and placed a hand on her girlfriend’s knee. “It’ll be ok. I’ll be right beside you.” She finally pulled into the driveway of a large cabin and smiled when she saw a blue SUV already parked right outside the garage. “Well, Eren’s here.” Mikasa leaned over to kiss the blonde and pulled back, smiling tenderly. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Grabbing their stuff from the back of the car, Mikasa and Annie went up to the front door and didn’t even get the chance to knock before the door swung open and Carla stepped out, throwing her arms around the werewolf’s neck. “Mikasa! Welcome home! Merry Christmas eve!” She pulled back, cupping the taller woman’s cheeks in her hands and smiling up at her. “Oh, it’s so good to see you.”

“Good to see you too, Aunt Carla.” Mikasa grinned at her. “Oh and uh-”

“You must be Annie!” Carla turned and promptly hugged her. “Please make yourself at home, we’re so happy to have you.” 

Annie was peeking over Carla’s shoulder, looking at Mikasa with big eyes. The werewolf bit her lip, trying not to snicker. Finally, when Carla let go of the blonde, Annie managed to say, “Th-thank you for letting me stay with your family for the holidays.”

“Nonsense! You’re family too, now, come in and get out of the cold.” She turned and motioned for them to follow. After the door was shut and they had taken a few steps in, Carla said, “Oh and Mikasa, your room is just the way you left it. So you guys can just put your stuff in there and come down. I just made my spiced hot chocolate.” 

Mikasa brightened and nodded. “Ok, it’ll only take a minute.” She took Annie’s hand and guided her upstairs. Her room was, as Carla said, just the way she had left it. Her bed was still pushed in the corner against the wall, posters and dream catchers hanging up, string lights above her bed. “I’ve kinda missed this.” She set her bag at the end of the bed and took Annie’s as well, setting it next to her own. “You ok? I know Carla can be a bit much at first.”

“No, no, it’s ok...” Annie sighed. “I guess I just didn’t expect you were being serious when you said she was a  _ hugger _ .” She smiled up at Mikasa wearily. “But I’m glad that she seems so ok with me staying.”

“Yeah, she’s really cool. I bet Eren is downstairs trying to sneak food. He does it every year.” Mikasa tilted her head and kissed Annie gently. “C’mon. Carla’s spiced hot chocolate is the best.” She again took Annie’s hand as they headed downstairs and led her into the kitchen where, sure enough, Carla was scolding Eren as he had half a gingerbread cookie shoved in his mouth. “Aw, Christmas traditions never change,” Mikasa joked.

Eren raised a hand in greeting with a muffled, “Heyf!” 

“Eren Broderick Jaeger, how many times have I told you not to speak with your mouth full?” Carla scolded. She wagged a finger at him. “Now, you stay out of those cookies. Those are for tomorrow.” 

Annie smirked, amused by the sight of Eren getting scolded. Then, her smirk turned into a regular smile as Carla turned around. “Your kitchen is gorgeous,” she noted. 

“Oh, thank you! Do you enjoy cooking?” the older woman asked.

The blonde nodded. “A lot. Mikasa and I cook dinner almost every night.” It made her chest feel warm to say things like that. She enjoyed being domestic more than she ever thought she would. Even though she still got a feeling that the only reason she enjoyed it so much was because Mikasa acted like her equal and didn’t expect her to do everything. 

“Mikasa’s a wonderful cook, isn’t she?” Carla inquired, looking proud. “She always helped me cook as she was growing up.” The woman reached into the cabinet and went to the crockpot with two mugs in her hands. As she ladled hot chocolate into the mugs, she asked, “There’s whipped cream in the fridge if you want it.” 

“Ah, Mikasa, welcome home.” The couple turned around to see a man with long dark hair and a thin beard smiling at them. “Your trip was a safe one?”

“Yes, Dr. Jaeger, thank you,” Mikasa replied. She chuckled as he shook his head and she mumbled, “I know, I know...”

“You can call me Uncle Grisha.” He turned his attention to Annie and held out his hand with a polite smile. “Dr. Grisha Jaeger. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Annie offered a smile of her own and shook his hand. “Annie Leonhardt.”

His eyes seemed to light up as if in recognition and he asked, “Is your father Andrei Leonhardt?”

“I’m...guessing so,” she replied slowly, “I never really met my biological dad.”

“Ah...what a shame. I knew him back in college,” Grisha answered. “Good man. Intelligent. A little rough around the edges. But he was good to work with.”

Annie’s eyes widened. “You knew my dad?” When Grisha nodded, she stared at him in surprise. “I...had no idea. My dad disappeared right after I was born. At least, that’s what my mom said.” 

Grisha looked as if he was pondering something very deeply before he just shook his head and his smiled returned. “Well, we’re happy to have you.” Then, to Eren, he asked, “Is Armin coming over?”

“Later. He said he was gonna go see his grandpa for a bit and then he’ll be over,” Eren replied. 

The oven dinged, signaling that dinner was ready and Carla pointed to the cabinet as she opened the oven. “Eren, get some plates down and set the table, please.” Her son rolled his eyes but did so wordlessly, likely not wanting to bring his mother’s wrath down on himself. While he was setting the table, Carla asked, “Mikasa, would you be a dear and help me get this turkey out?”

“Of course,” the younger brunette answered. She immediately went over to help and didn’t notice that Annie was still standing right where she’d left her, smiling tenderly at the sight of Mikasa helping her guardian. Mikasa glanced over her shoulder and flashed a smile at her girlfriend.

Dinner was more enjoyable than Annie would’ve imagined. She hadn’t enjoyed a family dinner in years and somehow, being next to Mikasa and getting to share in the banter made her chest go warm. The blonde found herself smiling and laughing and actually opening up to someone that was other than Mikasa. A few hours later, while everyone was in the living room and watching Christmas movies, Armin arrived. It wasn’t until close to midnight that everyone began to drag themselves to their respective rooms and Annie felt relieved as their door closed. “I...really enjoy your family.”

“I’m glad you enjoy them,” Mikasa answered softly. She gently pulled Annie into a hug and sighed. “They didn’t overwhelm you, did they?”

“Well...” Annie bit her lip. “There were a couple times I was getting overwhelmed but then you grabbed my hand and I started to calm down.” She paused and then mumbled, “I can’t believe Dr. Jaeger knew my dad...”

“I’m really surprised myself.” The couple parted and began to get ready for bed, changing into their pajamas and doing their other nightly rituals. Then, as Mikasa settled onto her bed, she glanced at Annie and asked, “Oh. Are you ok sharing a bed? If not, I can grab my sleeping bag and sleep on the floor. It’s just right in my closet-”

Annie shook her head. “No, no, it’s fine.” She crawled in next to Mikasa and as they settled down, her eyes widened a little as her girlfriend slid an arm around her waist. “Hey, Mika?”

“Hm?” she grunted. 

“I love you.”

The werewolf’s eyes shot open and she looked at Annie. “I- I love you too.” She smiled softly, eyes beginning to water slightly as she murmured, “Is- what brought that on, huh?”

“N-nothing, I mean, if it’s-” The blonde was silenced by Mikasa bringing their lips together. It wasn’t crushing or even brash, only sudden. When they broke apart, clinging to one another, Annie breathlessly joked, “I’ll take that to mean it wasn’t too soon.”

“Nope,” Mikasa agreed. She leaned in for another kiss. After several more moments, they began to grow drowsy and settled down together. 

Christmas day was as eventful as ever in the Jaeger household and Mikasa found herself surprised that Carla had managed to get a gift for Annie on such short notice. Thankfully, as college students, Mikasa and Annie went in together on gifts and it saved Annie from the anxiety of not getting gifts. They ended up staying in the Jaeger home for their whole break. Classes were supposed to start back up on January fourteenth, giving Mikasa and Annie at least a week alone together if they left on the seventh. 

It was January sixth.

And Annie had noticed that Mikasa was a bit lethargic. As they were in Mikasa’s room, packing up their stuff so they could leave the following day, she asked softly, “Hey, what’s going on. You seem really out of it.” 

Mikasa sighed. “New moon.” 

“New- oh. You don’t have any kind of energy during new moons?” Annie questioned. Her tone and expression were full of worry. She reached over and gently rubbed Mikasa’s back. “Are you gonna be ok? Do you want me to drive tomorrow?”

She mumbled, “We’ll just have to see how I feel tomorrow morning.” Mikasa ran a hand through her hair and added, “Y’know for a few days, that weird feeling went away but...now it’s back. And it just...feels foreboding. It feels clearer now and it’s a  _ bad _ feeling.” The werewolf was frowning worriedly. “I don’t like this.”

“I don’t either...” Typically, Mikasa’s gut feelings were pretty accurate and Annie had begun to trust her judgement.

Suddenly, Mikasa’s attention shot up and she stared at the window of her room that faced the road. Her nostrils flared and she reached over, shutting off her light. “Annie, get down.”

Annie didn’t question, getting low to the ground. As far as she knew, they were the only ones in the house. She hadn’t seen Grisha all day. Carla and Eren had driven into town to go shopping. Somehow, she hoped that they stayed gone for a while. “Mikasa, what-”

“Shh.” 

It wasn’t long after that when gunshots rang out and Annie had to cover her ears and bite her lip to stifle the terror she felt. Beside her, Mikasa was crawling low and she felt Mikasa lay over the top of her. “Mikasa, what’s going on?”

“Hunters,” she hissed. When the gunfire stopped, they could hear men shouting to one another. Mikasa got up slightly and gently patted Annie’s shoulder. “C’mon. We need to find a place to hide. Or we need to find one of Grisha’s guns.” They moved quickly but quietly until they heard a loud banging at the front door. Mikasa and Annie had managed to sneak into the kitchen. They froze as they heard more banging at the door. When it paused, Mikasa took Annie’s hand and tugged her across the open area towards the door that led to the basement. She tried the knob and growled when it didn’t budge. “Dammit. He always keeps this thing locked.” 

Annie’s heart was pounding hard. For once, she genuinely felt fear. Tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes but she wrenched her eyes shut and tried to bite back the fight-or-flight response. She reached up and pulled a bobbypin out of her hair and started working at the lock on the door. “Hang on. I’m trying, babe.”

Mikasa nodded. “I know.” However, when Annie was in the middle of working, the knob turned and Grisha opened the door. 

“Mikasa-”

“Hunters,” she snapped. She watched his eyes widen and then he stepped aside. They didn’t even wait for him to tell them what to do; the young couple simply hurried downstairs and listened as Grisha locked the door tight. Upon getting into the main portion of the basement, Mikasa’s eyes grew large as she looked at the armory Grisha seemed to own. “W-what...”

He gently rested a hand on her shoulder. “I think I need to tell you the truth. I know that you probably thought I had simply suspected something was odd about your family but was very welcoming when you came running that night.” Grisha sighed. “I failed you, that night. Just as there are Hunters, there are Watchers.” He put a hand to his chest in some sort of salute. “I’m a Watcher.”

“But...aren’t Watchers just some religious fable?” Annie asked.

Grisha again shook his head. “No. The Watchers are very real. I’m not the direct descendant of a Watcher but I was inducted by someone who once helped me in a great time of need.” Above them, there was a huge bang and Grisha’s attention went to the ceiling of the basement. “Sounds like they got in.”  He turned and took an old flip phone out of a drawer and typed something into the keypad. After he was done, the man put it away and instead turned to his arsenal. “I want you two to stay down here.”

“No.”

Annie looked at her girlfriend in disbelief. “Mikasa, are you fucking insane? Those people are trying to  _ kill  _ you!” She grabbed Mikasa and shoved her shoulder roughly so that they were facing one another. “I know you’re probably pissed and thinking it’s the same men who killed your parents. And who knows- maybe you’re right. But you don’t have any of your strength right now. That’s probably why they attacked tonight.” Annie watched as her words sunk in with Mikasa. It was heartbreaking to watch the brunette’s spirit seem to crumble. Taking Mikasa’s cheeks in her hands, the blonde whispered, “I know you want them to pay. But you can’t be the one to do it. Not in the state you’re in.”

“I called for the Watchers in this area to assist,” Grisha announced. “I can only hope they come soon.” He grabbed a shotgun and slung it across his back before strapping two pistols to his belt. “Like I said, I want you two to stay here. I’m going to sneak out through the crawl space and try to hold them off until the other Watchers get here.” 

Mikasa’s chest was aching. Everything had been going so well and then, the Hunters had to come and ruin it. She clenched her fists at her side, eyes burning with unshed tears. Even as Grisha was beginning to head out, she called, “Wait.” He paused and glanced back at her. “I know I’m not at my top strength but I’m still a good fighter. Please. Let me go too.” 

“Well, if you’re going, I’m going.” Annie crossed her arms over her chest. “I know Muay Thai and my step-dad had begun to teach me Krav Maga.” She knew that Mikasa wouldn’t want her risking her life but Annie wasn’t about to let Mikasa go out and fight with barely half of her normal strength.

“There’s no way to dissuade either of you, is there?” Grisha mumbled. When both of the young women stared at him evenly, he sighed and motioned to the weapons. “Well, then, get some weapons that you think you can handle. There’s magazines already loaded.” He watched them get armed and muttered, “We’ll use this door instead of the crawl space. It’ll still put us in a position to at least circle around behind them.” 

Right before Grisha got ready to open the door, he whispered, “If you two want to say anything to one another before we go...do it now. There won’t be time to talk when we begin our offense.” 

The couple looked at one another and Mikasa said, “I’m sorry. For all of this.”

“Just tell me you love me and shut up so we can get out there and win,” Annie retorted with a nervous smirk. 

With a weak smile, the werewolf announced, “I love you, Annie.”

“I love you too.” Then, nodding to Grisha, Annie put her rifle at the ready. Right before they could get outside, there was a hail of gunfire, seemingly from something akin to a fully automatic rifle. “Automatic weapons are illegal for civilians,” Annie hissed.

Everything went deathly quiet. Grisha said, “Not all of the Watchers are civilians.” There was movement upstairs and they could hear the sound of boots above their heads. “Looks like the ones in the house survived.” He instead moved towards the steps out of the basement and stated, “I’ll go up first. If they’re in the kitchen or waiting by the front door, I’ll yell ‘Titan’ and you two can rush them with me.” 

They nodded in agreement and stood right behind him at the top of the stairs. It was only a beat later that he shouted, “Titan!”

Mikasa rushed out with Annie and Grisha, rushing the last of the Hunters. However, they didn’t need to fire. The men threw down their weapons and essentially begged for mercy. The werewolf stepped forward and kicked their weapons well out of their reach and kept her weapon trained on them. She looked at Grisha. “Are the Watchers here?”

“You’re damn right we are,” a gruff voice replied. In the doorway, nearly blocking the entire entry with his height and broad shoulders, a man with a bandana tied over his face held a massive rifle in his hands. He stepped in and motioned for the others to enter. A group of five other men, each as tall and hulking as their apparent leader rushed in and took the Hunters into custody. After they were led outside, the man finally took time to look at each person in the home and he seemed to freeze. Then, his voice suddenly becoming heavily accented, he whispered, “ _ Sveta? _ ”

Annie nearly dropped the rifle in her hands. “...Sveta was my mom.”

The man pulled his bandana down and lowered his hood. His dark blonde hair was slicked back and there was stubble beginning to show on his jaw and chin. “ _ Anastasia _ ?” His eyes were nearly the same blue as Annie’s own. 

There was a thick, palpable tension as they stared at one another. “You’re...you’re my dad.” The blonde girl felt her chest getting tight again. Her lip quivered until she bit down, tearing her eyes away from his. Then, she angrily growled, “Why did you just leave? Why did you leave me and mom?”

“It wasn’t safe for you. For either of you. I told Sveta the truth but I begged her not to tell you,” he explained. “You saw what happened tonight. If I had stayed, it would’ve put you and your mother in danger. I couldn’t do that to my only child and the woman I love.”

“We needed you,” Annie retorted. “ _ I _ needed you! Where were you when mom died?”

He looked stricken. “Sveta...is dead?”

“She had cancer. And then she passed away and I got stuck with my step-dad who was a fucking control freak. The only reason I’m here and not there is because Mikasa gives a fuck about me and didn’t want me to go to a house where I wouldn’t feel perfectly safe,” she responded sharply. Annie looked torn between crying and throwing a punch at him.

Mikasa took a couple steps over to Annie and took her hand. When the blonde turned to look at her, she whispered, “It’s ok. We’re safe now. Maybe...you should take a minute to just talk.” She cast a glance at the man and watched as he looked ready to cry. The werewolf accepted the weapons from Annie and turned to Grisha. “Let’s put this stuff away.” 

As they went back down into the basement, Andrei murmured, “That girl. She’s a werewolf.”

Annie retorted, “She’s my girlfriend.” She watched as his expression changed from one of concern to something close to relief. “What?”

“I’m glad...that you have someone who you love. And who obviously loves you,” he answered. The tears fell, trailing down his cheeks as he smiled. “I know I wasn’t in your life when you were growing up...I even missed your graduation...I missed getting to see you off to college. But...please, may I...at least get to know you?”

“Let’s start with this: I don’t go by Anastasia. It’s  _ Annie _ .” Her arms dropped from where they had been crossed over her chest and she tilted her head curiously. “Got it?”

He nodded. “Got it. Annie.”

She felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips and she turned when she heard the footsteps on the stairs. Mikasa was waiting behind her with Grisha looking around sadly. The werewolf approached and questioned, “Are you all right? I’m sorry we had to go through this...”

“Hey, fuzzbucket, don’t you start that pity party shit. It isn’t your fault.” Annie cupped Mikasa’s cheeks and gently tugged her down into a kiss. “We’re ok. Both of us.” She smiled when Mikasa tugged her into a bear hug. “I love you so much, Mika.”

Mikasa smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks as she murmured, “I love you too, Annie.”


End file.
